He took a step closer. I took a step back. It was timed so well, it was almost as if we were dancing some sort of macabre waltz.

He laughed when we moved in unison.

‘Depends,’ he replied, ‘on what this is.’

‘Pick up pretty girls for your daddy?’ I shot back.

Something passed over his face for a moment and settled in his eyes. Something hard. And then, I blinked, and it was gone again.

‘Sure,’ he said, and his voice had changed somehow. Become more reserved, more guarded. Damn. The only person who’d shown me the tiniest bit of normality, and I had just alienated him. As usual, I was running off at the mouth before I thought about what I was actually saying.

Lili writes dark romance, suspense and paranormal stories. Her serial novel, Seven Sons, was released in early 2014, with the following books in the series to be released in quick succession. Lili quit corporate life to focus on writing and so far is loving every minute of it. Her other loves in life include her gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter, good coffee, Tarantino movies and spending hours on Pinterest.